A little while ago, I was chatting with friends over drinks about the reasons why we need to be happy, why we should live each day with joy. The conclusion was simple: life is short, and when we die, we vanish forever, so why add misery to the mix? Choosing small daily doses of happiness over waiting for some grand future joy is a philosophy I’ve cherished, born out of long years of trial and error.
During the pandemic, epic films slowly made their way back to theaters, and Marvel’s [Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness] was one of them. In the film, Earth is once again thrown into chaos by fantasies, and heroes struggle to restore order. After surviving a close call, one hero asks another if saving the world made them happy.
Saving the world might make people happy, but not me.
I thought saving the world would make one happy But, it didn’t make me happy
I totally got that. The huge hole in one’s heart can’t be filled no matter how much sand you pour in. Saving humanity is important, sure, but if your life becomes an endless string of sacrifice and endurance, who can call that a happy life? Happiness is about frequency, not size.
After wrapping up a long drama shoot, actress Kim Tae-ri filmed a four-part vlog retracing her filming locations and uploaded it to YouTube. She planned this trip to bring joy to her supportive fans. The videos document her search for happiness, transitioning from her seven-month commitment to the drama back to her everyday life over four days.
In the videos, she lives an extraordinarily ordinary life. Over four days, she eats when hungry, calls friends when lonely, and plays the flute when in high spirits. She listens to stories from new people she meets, reminisces about the past at filming locations, and reconnects with old colleagues. Throughout, she consistently says she’s happy—and she truly looks it. Strangely, watching her simple clips made me feel happy too, perhaps not as much as her, but still happy. 😊
Whenever I feel happy, sadness follows. I’m so happy, but it makes me sad. I don’t know why.
She says in her videos that she doesn’t know why, but I think I might have a clue. It’s knowing that this happiness won’t last forever, and someday, it might become impossible to feel this way again. Humans are born with a destiny to walk toward death, and no one can escape that. In a world that seems unfair, the one thing fair to all is our fate to eventually fade away.
Honestly, I don’t really know the best way to live either. Like climbing a mountain with a clear mind or running a marathon, I just live each day earnestly. I just hope those days are more happy than dull or lonely. Watching Kim Tae-ri’s vlog during these reflections gave me a hint of what to focus on in life. Happiness isn’t something you wait for; it’s something you seek and never neglect.
If you’ve got some free time and nothing specific to do, why not leisurely watch Kim Tae-ri’s vlog?
In the intro of the vlog, there’s a scene where she’s crying, but I couldn’t find it in the main video. Did I miss it even though I was paying attention? Oh, my focus… 😅
Leave a Reply